Stevens Point Medals At World Beer Championships

STEVENS POINT, WIS. — Four brands brewed by the Stevens Point Brewery are medal winners in the opening round of the 2014 World Beer Championships (WBC). Capturing the gold were Whole Hog Barley Wine, from the Whole Hog Brewmaster Series, JP’s Yabba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter and JP’s Casper White Stout, from the JP’s Adventurous Beers Series. Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, brewed for the cold winter months, earned a bronze medal.

The expert beer judges at Chicago’s Beverage Testing Institute, who taste-tested North American and British ales during January in the first round of 2014 WBC judging, were impressed by the these beers from the Stevens Point Brewery and poured on the accolades.

“Awards in respected beer competitions like the World Beer Championships are always exciting and help us spread the word about the quality of our handcrafted beers,” said Joe Martino, Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner. “Our gold medals for Casper White Stout and Yabba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter are a special thrill because we’ve been brewing these unique beers for less than a year. It’s very gratifying to know that the WBC’s experts consider them to be exceptional beers.”

‘Exceptional’ Gold Medal Beers

The World Beer Championships is an ongoing competition using the Beverage Testing Institute’s proprietary blind tasting methodology, based on a 100-point rating scale. Scores of 96 to 100 denote a “superlative” platinum winner, while 90 to 95 points are “exceptional” gold winners. WBC results and reviews are available online at the Beverage Testing Institute’s Tastings.com website.

This is the third consecutive year Whole Hog Barley Wine Style Ale has received a WBC gold medal. The rich, dark English-style barley wine is one of Point’s Whole Hog Limited Edition “big beers” brewed for discerning craft-beer aficionados.

JP’s Casper White Stout and JP’s Yabba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter are WBC newcomers: they were first introduced just last May. Casper White Stout, hopped with East Kent Golding and Fuggles hops from England, offers authentic stout flavor with an inviting amber color. Unlike traditional stouts, which get their black color and roasted flavor from black roasted malt, Casper White Stout is aged with coffee beans and cocoa nibs to create stout’s distinctive roasted character. JP’s Yabba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter is a traditional sweet porter brewed with chocolate malt and a chai tea blend from India, where a “dhaba” is a truckstop-style roadside restaurant.

The unique James Page beers are sold only in six-packs and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans and on draft in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. In addition to Casper White Stout and Yabba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter, the JP family includes A Cappella Gluten-free Pale Ale, brewed with sorghum and Cascade hops; and Ould Sod Irish Red Ale, an Irish-style red India Pale Ale brewed with peated malt and amply hopped with East Kent Golding and Fuggles hops.

The Stevens Point Brewery

Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew their handcrafted beers, including flagship Point Special Lager, which won the gold medal in the American Premium Lager category at the 2003 Great American Beer Festival.

The brewery’s year-round craft beers include Point 2012 Black Ale, a robust dark ale; Point Beyond the Pale IPA, a West Coast-style IPA brewed with Galaxy hops; Point Belgian White, a Belgian-style wheat ale; Point Burly Brown American Brown Ale, an American-style brown ale; Point Cascade Pale Ale, a hoppy American-style pale ale; Point Drop Dead Blonde Ale, a golden ale; and Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager. Point’s seasonal brands include Point Oktoberfest, a Marzen-style lager for the fall; Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a dark, abbey-style ale available from November through February; Three Kings Ale, a K├Âlsch-style beer for the spring; and Nude Beach Summer Wheat, an award-winning unfiltered wheat ale for the summer.

In addition to Whole Hog Barley Wine Style Ale, the Whole Hog series includes Whole Hog Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale, Whole Hog Russian Imperial and Whole Hog Raspberry Saison, a Belgian-style ale. The Whole Hog series also includes Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale, a spicy fall seasonal that won the gold medal in the Pumpkin Beer category at the 2012 Great American Beer Festival.

Gourmet soft drinks from the Stevens Point Brewery include Point Premium Root Beer, Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda. Point Premium Root Beer, made with pure cane sugar, natural vanilla and Wisconsin honey, was awarded a gold medal by the Beverage Testing Institute.